How to photograph pets

Want to take a great photo of your pet? Find out how Bendigo photographer Emma Closey snaps her subjects.

A famous filmmaking motto says never to work with animals or kids. What’s it like to work with both?

Emma Clohsey does just that. She’s a ‘family photographer’ and takes photos of babies, children, pets, and families.

Go behind the scenes and watch Emma in action photographing pets and babies in the video above, made for ABC Open’s Day in the Life video project.

Emma’s tips on how to take a great pet photo:

Start with thumbnails

Emma’s planning starts with drawing thumbnails of the photos she wants to take, her “key shots.” By doing this, she says “I’ve always got a picture in my head of what I’m trying to achieve”.

Consider backdrops and props

Backdrops and props can make a photo colourful and fun.

Emma spends a lot of time getting her studio ready. She irons and tapes up different materials as backdrops, puts out props and makes sure the room temperature is comfortable.

Make the pet comfortable

If you’re photographing your own pet, obviously it will be comfortable around you.

But if you don’t know the pet well, Emma suggests spending some time with them before getting out your camera.

She says, “When they arrive, I get to know their pet a little bit. I get on the ground and give them lots of pats, and talk to them, face to face.”

Another person to help

If it’s your pet, you might need the help of a family member so you can concentrate on taking the photo.

If it’s not your pet, Emma suggests asking the owner for help.

Ask the owner or helper to move the pet into position. A little bit of noise like a squeaky toy can help to get the pet’s attention.

Get natural expressions

Emma aims to photograph a pet “how it normally is”. She says it’s important to capture a pet “how their owners would want to remember them.” Basically, you want to recognise your pet’s natural expressions in the photo.

If you’re a pet owner, you’ll already know that our beloved companions can be really expressive. Try and capture different facial expressions of the pet. Look for their ears up, ears down, and your pet opening and closing its mouth.

For a dog, “when their mouth is closed, I’ve got a bit of eye contact, their ears are a little bit up; that’s when I know I’ve got it,” Emma says.

Try different angles

Emma photographs pets from different angles. She gets down on the floor on the same level as the pet, stands up high and uses a squeaky toy to get the pet to look up, and shoots from the side too.

Like with any kind of portrait, try a variety of shots and angles so you’ve got a lot to photos to choose from.

Be flexible and patient

Finally, when you work with pets, babies, children and families like Emma does, flexibility is key.

This is where your earlier planning can help. “You might only get two of your thumbnail shots, but at least you’ve got a plan of where to go,” Emma suggests.

“You need to take your time and be patient because you’re taking your cues from the subject.”